Civic Platform (PO) MPs announced that they intend to submit a draft bill that would order returning the bonuses granted to the ministers of Law and Justice (PiS) government to the budget. The legislation would also bind the prime minister to disclose in the Public Information Bulletin the names of those who received the bonuses and in what amount.
"Additional salaries"
Mariusz Witczak, Civic Platform MP said at a press conference on Friday, that his formation prepared a draft bill that will "bring the enormous amount of money that was given out to Law and Justice MPs back to where it belongs, namely the budget."
He explained that once the bill comes into effect, the prime minister will be bound to urgently disclose the amount of the bonuses and the names of their recipients and publish it in Public Information Bulletin.
"The scale of these enormous and unjustly paid out bonuses, or rather additional salaries is deeply shocking to all of us," stressed Mr Witczak.
Decency first
Marcin Kierwiński (PO) said that the new bill is thought to bring back "elementary decency". "Decency is in deficit in Law and Justice. Both chairman Kaczyński and prime minister Morawiecki lack basic decency," said Civic Platform MP.
According to him, if PiS politicians had a slightest bit of decency "they would show the public how they returned the money."
"Dear Law and Justice ministers, prime minister Morawiecki, prime minister Szydło - decency comes first, decency is key. This bill will test the remains of your decency," added Mr Kierwiński.
In his opinion, donating the bonuses to charity "does not mean returning of unjustly given out, secondary salaries".
"It’s only an attempt to cover up the reality of deceiving Polish people for financial gains," said Civic Platform MP.
"Sin of greed"
According to Krzysztof Brejza from PO, the bill is meant to help PiS politicians to discover the truth and to return the "embezzled money" to the budget.
"We’re reaching out to Jarosław Kaczyński. That’s the only way to redeem the sin of greed. Only by adopting this bill can the public opinion find out what was the real scale of this shady business, because they certainly weren’t bonuses," added Mr Brejza.
He added that Civic Platform will further investigate the circumstances of Law and Justice politicians' giving out money to themselves. "This will be the next step. Not only would this bill reveal the greedy face of PiS, but also impose consequences," said Mr Brejza.
Shame convoys
In December last year, after an interpellation by PO, deputy head of the prime minister’s office, Paweł Szrot issued a table showing the total amount of bonuses for particular ministers granted in 2017.
According to the table, 21 ministers received bonuses ranging from 65.000 zloty to 80.000 zloty gross; Twelve ministers from prime minister’s chancellery received from 37.000 zloty to 60.000 zloty, including the former PM Beata Szydło (65.100 zloty).
The information about the bonuses outraged the opposition which on numerous occasions appealed to the government to return the money.
Furthermore, Civic Platform politicians organized in a few cities a "shame convoy", a column of cars pulling billboards on wheels that pictured PiS politicians and the amount of money they have received.
In early March, prime minister Morawiecki announced a cancellation of any bonuses or prizes for ministers and deputy ministers.
In April, PiS chairman, Jarosław Kaczyński informed that the bonuses granted by the former PM, Beata Szydło to the members of her cabinet would be donated to "Caritas" by the middle of May.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24